Friday, December 24, 2010

Fairuz - Christmas Eve (Jingle Bells)فيروز - ليلة عيدLaylat Eid

This is a Christmas song from Lebanon by Fairuz sung to the tune of jingle bells. A lot of the imagery does not translate well (much like the imagery in the song jingle bells when you think about it) but I've tried to render the meaning here in English as best I can, though I think if you really want to get the sense the song is conveying you could probably just listen to jingle bells in English.

Fairouz - Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve, tonight is Christmas EveDecorations and people gatheredThe sound of bells ringing in the distance

Friends finding presents behind the doorThere's a tree in house with the children running around itThe tree is all dressed up for Christmas (literally, it's become like a holiday or part of the holiday) and there is bracelet on (my) hand (because it is a holiday, this line doesn't translate easily, but it is just giving some Christmas imagery)And I'm hanging songs and bunches of grapes on the tree

Oh you nativities shining like sapphiresHow did you bring such snow, ribbons and moons to our home?Who's that coming from afar, giving out presentsKnocking on the door and leaving, spreading joy to all? (i.e. it's Father Christmas/St. Nick/Santa Claus etc.)

Egyptian Arabic Course

Hey guys, I've launched a new Egyptian Arabic online course in the blog format using exclusively songs to help learners of Arabic bridge the gap between their knowledge of Standard Arabic and Egyptian dialect. Check it out here.